HC Deb 12 January 2004 vol 416 c605W
Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the cost to the NHS in Cambridgeshire of health tourism in 2002–03. [146452]

Dr. Ladyman

Entitlement to free national health service treatment is based on residence in the United Kingdom. The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989 place a duty on NHS trusts to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident or otherwise eligible for free NHS hospital treatment and if not to levy a charge for any treatment provided.

The amounts collected from NHS charged patients are not separately identified in trust accounts and are not collected centrally.